


Favors/Family/Fake Girlfriends

by thatmitchsentho



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: F/F, Not Very Fluffy At All, but also quite depressing, fake dating au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-30
Updated: 2016-10-30
Packaged: 2018-08-27 22:42:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8419999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatmitchsentho/pseuds/thatmitchsentho
Summary: Beca Mitchell has to spend a week with her dad and her extended family. For some reason, she lets it slip that she has a girlfriend, so said girlfriend is invited to spend break with them all at the family holiday house. Only Beca doesn't have a girlfriend and now she needs to ask a big favor of her friends. A fake girlfriend for a week. Aubrey hesitates for a split second, but caves and volunteers to act as her girlfriend for the week.





	

"Okay," Beca said nervously. Chloe and Aubrey were seated on their couch watching her with amusement. "I have a huge favor to ask and I realize that it's ridiculous but it would really save my ass and save me a whole bunch of pain."

"Spit it out," Aubrey said. "Neither of us is agreeing to anything until we've heard what it is."

"So my family have been giving me a hard time about not having a boyfriend," Beca said. “Dad and Sheila.”

"But you're gay," Chloe said, confused.

"I know! And they think I'm not serious about it because I've never brought a girl home," Beca said. "And anyway, Sheila was telling Dad that there's a nice boy she wants to set me up with in the town near where the holiday house is and we're all supposed to be going there in three weeks with my cousins. But I don't want to meet this dude and I might have already told them that I can’t because I have a girlfriend and next minute Sheila has planned for my imaginary girlfriend to come and stay with us and it’s too late for me to back out now."

"Oh," Chloe said. "You need a fake girlfriend for - how long?"

"A week," Beca said. “Start of break.”

"I'm in," Chloe said. "Hang on, what date?" She had pulled out her phone and was scrolling through the calendar.

"Starting Friday the seventeenth," Beca said. "I owe you so much, Chlo, thank you."

"You might want to hold off on that because the eighteenth is when I'm booked in for med school interviews in Atlanta," Chloe said. "Sorry, Beca. Aubrey, you don't have anything planned, do you?" Beca's eyes shot to the blonde, who looked reluctant.

"Please," Beca said. "It's just for seven days. Whatever you want, it's yours, I just need you to help me get them off my back." Her eyes were screaming.

"I don't know," she said slowly. "That feels potentially messy."

"Messy? Messy is going to be me once Sheila and Dad find out I don't in fact have a girlfriend and insist I go out with some random dude," Beca said. "Please, Aubrey, I will literally beg if I have to. I'll sleep on the floor while you take the bed, you can bring work, anything. I just - can't." Aubrey was shocked to see that she was actually getting emotional.

"I cannot fucking take another round of bashing on Beca," she said in a weak tone. "Every time. Why don't you have a boyfriend? Are you sure you're gay? How do you know if you've never had a boyfriend? What kind of respectable girl dates girls anyway? Can't you just give it a try? I just don't want to have to hear that shit for seven straight days, and not just I don't want to, I literally don't feel like I can. So I need your help. You guys are both smart and ambitious and talented and gorgeous and I'd finally be able to show them it's not just fucked up weirdos like me who date girls. Normal girls date girls." Her cheeks were scarlet and she couldn't even look up. Aubrey was starting to feel angry on her behalf, but she kept it reigned in.

"They've said all those things?" Aubrey asked. "To you?" Beca nodded.

"I hate going home or seeing them for a reason," she said pointedly. “It’s fucking painful hearing all of that every single time I see Sheila and Dad. Sheila's sister is just as bad.”

"I'll do it," she said firmly. "I'm in." Beca threw her arms around the blonde, crashing her back into the couch.

"Oh my god you have no idea how much I love you right now," she said. "Thank you so much, Aubrey."

"You guys are gonna have to spend some time together before you go," Chloe said. "Get comfortable with each other."

"Well I already am pretty comfortable around Aubrey and we don't have to be full PDA around the family," Beca said. "I don't want to make you do anything you don't feel okay with. We can go through it all together. But seriously, Aubrey, this is going to make life so much easier, you have no idea how much I appreciate it."

"To be honest, I'm finding myself offended that they think only weird girls date girls," Aubrey said. "What the hell does that even mean?"

“Hell yeah,” Chloe said. “Like, say that to my face, I dare you.”

"I know," Beca said. "It's a nightmare. And the holiday house is really nice, nothing but green for miles around."

"Not the beach?" Chloe asked. “That’s what I envisioned.”

"No, it's out in the country," Beca said. "There's wifi - they relented so dad could work out there - but no TVs and there's also a kind of unspoken rule about no phones."

"That actually sounds nice," Aubrey said. "Who's gonna be there?"

"Dad and Sheila, her sister Belinda and her husband Eric and their three kids Cody, Claire and Chelsea," Beca rattled off. “I owe you.” 

“I have a class that lets out that afternoon, and I’ll need to bring some work with me,” Aubrey said. “I’ll have papers to grade.” 

“By all means, that’s fine,” Beca promised. “It might even show them that girls who date girls can have serious jobs. Because you know, musician. Just another thing that they can put in the undesirable column.” Aubrey felt a pang in her chest. Beca spoke lightly but she could tell it bothered her. Heck, it bothered Aubrey. 

Aubrey knew that Chloe thought she was just doing a good thing for a friend. But if it had been anyone but Beca (or Chloe herself, not that she’d ever ask), she would have blatantly refused. She just couldn’t stomach thinking of Beca dreading going home to face that. To face disbelief and criticism and a constant barrage of questioning. She couldn’t stomach Beca facing anything bad. 

And it had a lot to do with her feelings toward the smaller girl. 

She liked her, a lot, which is why she’d initially hesitated. It’d be too hard to pretend to be her girlfriend when she would really love nothing more than to actually be her girlfriend. But seeing Beca’s face fall as she painfully admitted what family get-togethers were like for her, it was too much. She’d just have to be careful. 

It was a few days later that Beca dropped around to talk about the finer details. Chloe had been right about one thing - they'd have to be pretty well rehearsed at this pretend thing. Luckily, Chloe had suggested they try it out a bit at the apartment. Sitting together, holding hands, cuddling, learning about each other in a bit more detail. 

Chloe had also promised not to say anything to the other girls. She was being surprisingly cavalier about the whole thing. Beca was thankful she wasn’t making it weird. But Chloe wasn’t an idiot, she kind of felt like Aubrey was into Beca just a little. Beca could even have felt the same, but she was way too closed off about stuff like that for her to know for sure. So she was content to just let it play out, and play the safety for the two of them as they navigated the fake relationship for their upcoming week away.

“So, what are your limits?” Beca asked as they settled down into the couch one evening. “I know we have to be fairly convincing as girlfriends, but whatever you’re comfortable with is fine.” She curled up next to Aubrey, finding it easy to get comfortable in her space.

“Well, hugging, hand holding,” Aubrey said. “How long do they think we’ve been dating exactly?” 

“Eight weeks,” Beca said. 

“Okay,” Aubrey said. “A little kissing is fine, nothing excessive.” Beca was stunned. 

“Seriously?” she said. 

“I think eight weeks and us not kissing would raise flags,” Aubrey said pointedly. She’d have to stop herself from going crazy and slipping her the tongue, but she could kiss her a little. If it meant selling the story, of course.

"I don't think I'll ever be able to actually tell you how much it means to me that you're doing this," Beca said. "I feel like I can't win with them. Like there are a million ways that I can be better in their eyes and all of them involve being nothing like me."

"You're not a bad person, Beca," Aubrey said. "You're a good person. A smart person. Talented. You're a good friend. A good leader. You're ambitious. Honest. Kind. And if they think there are things that you can be that make your better than all the things you already are, fuck them."

"Fuck them?" Beca asked, temporarily distracted from the touching moment by Aubrey's cussing.

"Yes, Beca, fuck them," she said, taking Beca’s hand. "We're going to be the best fake couple in history." Beca looked down at her hand in Aubrey’s. It didn’t feel weird.

"Yeah we are," she said.

"Alright... Do we have pet names for each other?" Aubrey asked.

"Well, apart from the obvious Bree and Becs, a little casual 'babe' should suffice," Beca said. "How did we meet and get together?"

"Well let's not mess with that too much," Aubrey said. "Bellas. We're mutual friends with Chloe, spent a lot of time together. Who made the first move though?"

"You did," Beca said. "But only because you knew I'd never do it." They lapsed into a little talk about the others families, the kind of stuff two people who had been dating a little while might know about each other. 

Aubrey was marveling at the feel of Beca’s hand in hers. Because it was small, but she’d seen it create amazing things. This was a hand that flew over keys and buttons and dials and created some of the best music arrangements she’d ever heard in her life. She liked the feel of it sitting securely in hers. 

It was going to be harder than she thought, reining her feelings in. 

It had gotten all the way to two days before they were supposed to leave, when Beca knocked on the door mid evening. They’d been hanging out a lot, the pretend couple thing was down pat according to Chloe. But tonight Beca looked nervous.

“Hey,” Aubrey said. “What’s up?”

“Chloe here?” Beca asked, dropping her bag on the floor.

“No,” Aubrey replied. The smaller girl looked up at her.

“We’re pretty much ready for this thing, I think,” Beca said. “Except there’s one thing we still haven’t really done and we should probably get it out of the way. So, I’m going to kiss you now, unless you’ve decided that you’d rather not.”

“No, of course, it’s fine,” Aubrey said. Her heart began to hammer inside her chest. Beca stood up slightly, her hand slipping behind Aubrey’s neck to close the gap, and she pressed their lips together.

It was a soft brush, fleeting. But she did it again, then again and held it longer, working her way up to kissing her properly. Aubrey knew she was going to be no good setting this physical boundary, she’d have to let Beca do it, because she’d let Beca kiss her for the next six hours. She felt the curious tip of Beca’s tongue gently pushing at her lip and - heart in her throat - she reciprocated. 

It wasn’t long, but it was enough to make Aubrey forget where she was. All too soon, the smaller girl was pulling back, a little pink in the cheeks. Aubrey could feel the warmth on her own as well.

“Okay,” Beca said. “I just had to make sure we could do that convincingly.”

“I think we’re fine,” Aubrey said.

“Can you maybe give Chloe the heads up that when I see you guys over the next couple of days, I’ll be like kissing you hello or whatever? Get into a routine?” Beca asked.

“Sure,” Aubrey said. “I promise, Beca, we’re going to be fine.” Beca nodded a few times but it looked like her mind was a million miles away.

“Yeah,” she said. “I know it’s incredibly unclassy to kiss and run but I do have something I gotta do, I just had to get that out there.”

“It’s no problem,” Aubrey said. “I’ll see you tomorrow?” Beca nodded again and stretched up to kiss her on the lips quickly.

“Sure, babe,” she said with a wink. Then she picked her bag up and left. Aubrey caught herself for a moment, left a little flustered by the wink Beca had delivered. 

Beca was headed back to her dorm, hoodie pulled up over her head, music blasting. Aubrey was being amazing about this. She realised it was a stupid thing to have to ask someone to do. And if she was being honest, she would have preferred Chloe.

Not that there was anything wrong with Aubrey, not at all. But she and Chloe were really close. Chloe knew a lot more about her problems with her family, as well as the problems she’d been having on her own. She did struggle a lot because of the way she felt regarding her family. And Chloe would have been a nice, safe buffer. 

Because with Aubrey there was also the other thing. Because Aubrey was the kind of girl Beca would be interested in. If she believed that any girl would be interested back, of course. She didn’t believe that, but it kind of pinned a weird undertone to most of their interactions for her. Aubrey was beautiful and smart and incredible. She almost felt bad for Aubrey, having to suffer through this with her when she could be dating any woman she wanted, basically. And she definitely felt bad for enjoying their kisses so much.

Beca picked Aubrey up after her class let out at five twenty on Friday afternoon. She’d had all her stuff packed earlier and Beca had picked it up while Chloe was home. They’d drive the almost four hours out to the country and Beca figured that if she figured one stop for coffee and a bathroom, they’d arrive by around nine thirty. 

Aubrey met her out front of the building and Beca immediately offered to take the stack of things in her arms. Aubrey shouldered her bag a bit better and followed her to the car. They stowed her stuff in the backseat.

“You need the bathroom or anything before we go?” Beca asked.

“No I ducked out of class about twenty minutes before we finished,” Aubrey said.

“We’ll stop a little over halfway for caffeine,” Beca said. “Get there around nine thirty.”

“Fine,” Aubrey said. She felt like Beca was a bit nervous. “I’m ready Beca. We’re ready.”

“Thanks again for doing this Aubrey,” Beca said quietly. She was gazing out the windscreen. “I know there are a million other things you could be doing this week.”

“Well with you and Chloe both out of town, I probably would have been hanging out here alone,” Aubrey said. Beca smiled and started the car, handing her iPod to Aubrey to pick something to listen to.

It was an easy drive. Once they got out of the tangle of Barden, it was a fairly smooth shot. They sang along a little to the music, Aubrey even dozed off for a moment. Beca pulled up at the diner she’d picked out as a stopping point and gently shook her awake.

“Bree,” Beca said. “Hey, Bree. We’re at the diner. Gonna grab a coffee. Do you want anything? Dad said Sheila was saving us dinner but if you’re hungry we can grab a snack.”

“No I can wait,” Aubrey said. “But coffee and a bathroom sounds great.” They got out of the car and headed inside. It had gotten pretty cold as the sun had gone down, but they got large coffees and drank them inside. 

“Do you want me to drive?” Aubrey offered.

“I’m fine,” Beca said. “I know where I’m going, the coffee has perked me up. We’re a little ahead of schedule.” They took a moment to stretch their bodies a bit, and Aubrey dug a jacket out of her bag and tugged it on. Beca figured that was a good idea and opened the trunk to pull a zipper hoodie out. 

“We good?” Beca asked.

“Yep,” Aubrey said. They got back in and Beca navigated the car out of the diner parking lot. The rest of the drive raced by and soon enough she was turning down a drive marked with Claremont.

“Sheila’s family name,” Beca supplied. Aubrey could see the house up in the distance, a sprawling thing with warm lighting switched on outside, for their benefit, she assumed. Even in the dark she could see the house was gorgeous. Still had all of its old world charm, meticulously maintained. Beca parked the car next to a handful of others.

“Wow,” Aubrey said. “Beca, it’s really beautiful.” Someone had seen them pull up, because Beca’s dad appeared on the porch next, closely followed by Sheila. 

“Hey,” Beca said, giving her dad a hug. “Dad, Sheila, this is Aubrey Posen. Aubrey, Dad and Sheila.” Aubrey shook both their hands. 

“Thank you so much for inviting me to come and stay for the weekend,” she said. 

“Oh, it’s our pleasure,” Sheila said in an overly friendly tone. “We saved you both some dinner.” Beca held the door for Aubrey and then slid her hand into hers as they entered.

“It’s my fault we’re late,” Aubrey said. “Please accept my apology. We would have left earlier only I had to TA a class this afternoon.” 

“Beca mentioned you were TA for Goldsmith’s class,” Warren said. “You’re a Politics major?” 

“I’ll graduate this year with honors,” Aubrey confirmed, “Though I’m staying on for a Masters in International Politics.” He looked impressed and led them through to the dining room. Heads had swiveled around from the adjacent living area to welcome the newcomers. 

“Hey Bec,” said one of the cousins, a dark haired girl. 

“Hey everyone,” she said. “Okay, quick introductions. Everyone, this is my girlfriend Aubrey. Bree, Aunt Bel and Uncle Eric, and Cody, Claire and Chelsea.” 

“Nice to meet you all,” Aubrey said. Sheila was setting down two full plates for them, so they sat at adjacent corners of the table and ate quickly. Warren joined them with a cup of coffee. 

“We figured since everyone was here, you guys might be more comfortable in the loft,” he said. “More space. A bit of privacy.”

“Uh, yeah, good idea,” Beca said. “I’ll clear up and then we’ll take our stuff out.”

“I’ll help, babe,” Aubrey said. They got up together and cleared the table, setting the dishwasher going. Beca grabbed a set of keys from her father and led her back outside, toward a smaller adjacent building. It had been converted into a much smaller living quarters, and there was a set of stairs heading up to a larger platform. Beca gestured that Aubrey should go first. 

The bedroom was set entirely on the platform. Huge windows almost ran the entire height from the platform floor to the roof facing away from the main house, and it looked out on darkened rolling countryside illuminated by stars. The bed had thick quilts on it, and they’d be able to see straight out the windows from under the covers.

“Oh, wow,” Aubrey said. “The sun-“ 

“No, it comes across sort of behind and then sets out there,” Beca said. “I didn’t figure on dad suggesting we stay out here… it’s kind of romantic for our arrangement.” 

“Well, it gives us privacy at least,” Aubrey said. 

“And it does make sense, the room I normally stay in has a twin bed,” Beca said. “Are you sure you don’t want me to stay on the floor?” 

“No, Beca,” Aubrey insisted. “This bed is huge. But this view, it really is something else.” 

“It used to be a maids quarters or something,” Beca said. “Sheila’s family used to own a lot of land out here, but progressively sold it off as farming became unsustainable. But the house is still theirs and despite my unease about the family in general, it is a gorgeous place.” 

“I never figured you for a country girl,” Aubrey said.

“Well, beachside equals burning,” Beca pointed out. “And it’s quiet out here. I can think clearly.” They went back down and Beca showed her around the little living area. A big couch pointed at a fireplace, another stuffed armchair in a corner next to a bookshelf. A shelf unit holding a vinyl turntable and a small collection of albums. A kitchenette, though Beca said Sheila and Belinda would do all of the cooking. The bathroom was small but modern, and the dining room would be more than adequate for Aubrey to park at to grade papers. 

“The Wi-Fi might not reach out here,” Beca said with a frown.

“It’s fine,” Aubrey said. “I have a copy of the marking rubric saved, and I’ll just take the laptop to the house to download all the submitted papers. This place is great. If we didn’t have your family to contend with, I’d still be happy to hang out here for a week.”

“Okay,” Beca said. “We don’t have to go back in there tonight, though. Dad said I looked tired, so.”

“Are you okay?” Aubrey asked.

“I just always feel a little sick in the stomach,” Beca said. “Like anxious tension? Like I’m waiting for something bad to happen.”

“It’s your dad, Sheila, aunt and uncle?”

“Not even Uncle Eric,” Beca said. “Or my cousins, they couldn’t give two shits who I date.” Aubrey knew that the one that hurt most was her dad. Because Sheila and Belinda, they were one thing, but her father was a different thing all together. He should love her, regardless. She wrapped her arms around Beca in a hug.

“Thanks,” Beca said. “Do you want a shower?” Aubrey decided that was a great idea and Beca made sure there was towels and stuff in the bathroom while she grabbed her pajamas and left her to it. When Aubrey was done she found Beca upstairs, wearing her pajamas and sitting on the end of the bed, just looking out at the stars.

“Despite how much I dread coming here, I can’t argue that it’s beautiful,” Beca said. Aubrey sat down next to her. 

“It really is.”

“There’s a river at the far side of the property line,” Beca said. “Through a bit of a wood. In summer we swim down there. Takes a bit over an hour to walk it, but it’s worth it.”

Aubrey stood and pulled the covers back, sliding underneath. Beca mirrored her action, though Aubrey could feel her tension radiating out from her body.

“Relax, Beca,” she said. “I know you’ve shared beds with Chloe. This is exactly the same.” Beca shifted to turn the lamp off and then relaxed. Despite their just having eaten and their recent caffeine, they were soon asleep. 

Aubrey woke the next morning and sat up, taking a few moments just to look at the beautiful scenery in front of her. Beca had been right when she had said that it was nothing but green for miles. She was still just sitting when Beca stirred and woke up. They’d slept later than she figured, but since the sun was coming over from behind the house it meant they hadn’t been disturbed early.

“Hey,” Aubrey said. “Sleep okay?”

“Okay enough,” Beca shrugged. “I’m pretty keen on a shower though. Oh, and if you go to the house without me, it’d be smart to take a sweater, it’s always freezing first thing in the morning.”

“I’ll wait,” Aubrey said. “We’ll go together.” Beca smiled at her and then got out of bed. She assembled her stuff and shuffled off downstairs, while Aubrey simply sat in bed a little longer. She was determined to make this week enjoyable for the other girl. 

She was dressed and ready for the morning when Beca returned, waiting downstairs and reading the spines of the books on the bookcase as she did so. Beca didn’t say anything, so Aubrey followed her wordlessly, noticing the way her shoulders moved as she took a deep breath before entering the house.

“Morning,” was the first greeting, from Beca’s dad.

“Good morning,” Aubrey replied. 

“Morning,” Beca said. She led Aubrey toward the kitchen. Someone had set out cereals, juice, fruit, yogurt and there was a jug of pancake batter already mixed and sitting next to a griddle. Aubrey could see coffee; that was what she wanted first.

“Coffee babe?” Aubrey asked.

“Sure, thanks,” Beca said. “What would you like for breakfast?”

“I’ll get it,” Aubrey said. 

“No, let me,” Beca insisted. 

“Yogurt with some granola and fruit please,” Aubrey said. She pecked Beca on the cheek.

“No prob,” Beca said. She made both of them their breakfast while Aubrey waited for the coffee. She set their meals down at the table where Cody and Claire were already eating. She didn’t mind her cousins too much. Cody and Claire were twins. Claire was quiet and a bit nerdy, Cody was a typical seventeen year old boy. Chelsea was fifteen, and she was a bit of a jock. She didn’t really have much in common with any of them, but she didn’t dislike them.

"Dude," Cody said, keeping his voice low. "Your girlfriend is such a babe."

"Yeah I know," Beca said. "I’m well aware of that. Why is that such a shock?" Aubrey came over and set a cup of coffee down in front of Beca, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

"What's the plan for today?" Aubrey asked, turning her attention to her breakfast.

"I thought we might go for a walk down to the river," Beca said. "I mean, it's too cold to swim, but it's still pretty. We can take some lunch with us, just relax."

"Sounds great," Aubrey said tangling her fingers with Beca's.

"I promise I'll get you back in plenty of time to start grading those papers," Beca promised.

"You have to work?" Claire asked.

"I have about forty papers to grade," Aubrey said. “But the sooner I get them done, the sooner I can focus on just being here with Beca.”

"It's fine," Beca said. "You can work on those and I'll work on some mixes. Yet another reason we work so well together."

“You’ve got work?” Beca’s dad asked. 

“Just grading some freshman class papers,” Aubrey said. “Intro to Global Politics.” He waited until they were done eating and beckoned to Aubrey so she followed him. There was a tiny study at the end of a hall.

“The Wi-Fi password is here,” he said, opening a drawer. It was scrawled on a post it. “If you need it.”

“Thanks,” Aubrey said. “I just need to download the assignments to my computer.”

“Feel free to print them off if you want a hard copy,” he said, gesturing to the printer. “You can work in here if you like, as well. I don’t mind.”

“I appreciate that,” Aubrey said. “Beca and I kind of have a routine though. She works on music while I grade.”

“You can work through all that noise?” he asked. Aubrey was a bit taken aback.

“I love listening to her work,” she said, honestly. “She literally astounds me with her talent. Getting to see and hear her put something together is pretty special.” 

“Right,” he said awkwardly, as if he didn’t believe her at all. “Well, it’s yours for whatever you need.”

“Thank you,” she said, and then went back to find Beca. Beca had cleared their plates away and made second cups of coffee that they enjoyed together on the couch before Aubrey decided she should probably change out of leggings and into something a bit more appropriate for walking through woods. She disappeared back to the loft.

“So where did you guys meet?” Claire asked. Some of the rest of the family had gathered by this point and were clearly listening in even though they tried not to show it.

“Bellas,” Beca said. “She’s captain of the group, and she lives with Chloe, who is the other captain and my best friend. Once we started spending a lot of time in that kind of proximity, it just kind of grew out of that.”

“And she’s what, a senior?” her aunt asked.

“Yep,” Beca asked. “Graduates at the end of the academic year.”

“What will you do then?” she asked.

“Well, we’d still be dating no matter what, but she’s doing her Masters, so she’s not actually going anywhere,” Beca said. “Though we’ve talked about maybe moving in together since Chloe will be moving out to go to med school.”

“You’re that serious already?” Sheila asked. “After eight weeks?”

“We talked about it before we even got together,” Beca said. “We’ll revisit the subject soon and see how the relationship changes that. But it feels good, feels solid. I’m happy. She’s happy.” She saw Sheila and her father exchange glances but she decided against saying anything.

Aubrey appeared soon enough, having traded the leggings for jeans and her ballet flats for old but well taken care of white Converse sneakers. She dropped back into the couch next to Beca.

“I’m ready to go when you are, babe,” she said. 

“I’m sure there’s a backpack in the garage we can steal,” Beca said. “I’ll go take a look, be right back.” She got up and headed down the hall. 

“You guys going to the river?” Warren asked.

“Yeah,” Aubrey said. “She says it’s pretty. Plus, it’s kind of our thing to disappear somewhere quiet and just enjoy it. We’re both kind of busy on campus, but we’re also both introverts. It helps us recharge. Mom and Dad think Beca and I are both crazy but we can just spend a day in almost total silence, being together without having to be constantly chattering at each other.”

"Your parents have met Beca?" Warren asked, surprised.

"Sure," Aubrey said. "They adore her almost as much as I do." Beca had never met the Posens and wouldn't be able to pick them out had they been standing in front of her. But she was totally planning on making them feel as bad about their hostility toward Beca as possible. So the Posens, she had decided, were firmly aboard Team Beca.

"And what do they think of your relationship?" Sheila asked. "Beca says they're from the South, they're… okay with it?"

"Of course they are," Aubrey said. "She loves me, encourages me, supports me, challenges me, calms me and I'm happier with her than I am without. That's all my parents ask for in a partner. She’s respectful to me, and to my parents. And she really gives her whole heart to people that are important to her."

"That's nice," Belinda said stiffly.

"Frankly I can't imagine anyone loving me better than Beca," Aubrey said. "Dad’s always been a fan because he appreciates a girl who can stand up for herself and who won’t be intimidated. Mom loves her because she’s always pulling chairs, offering her jacket, helping with the dishes when we go there for dinner.”

“What do they do?” Sheila asked.

“Dad’s a retired Air Force Major and now he works as a logistics consultant for the State Department,” Aubrey said. “Mom was a Math teacher for a long time, now she volunteer tutors at a couple of places, and teaches ESL at a couple of night classes.” Beca reappeared with the backpack.

“Found it,” Beca said. Aubrey excused herself and went with Beca into the kitchen. “I already stuck a picnic rug in the bottom.”

“We probably don’t need to take too much with us since we had breakfast so late,” Aubrey said. “Just some water, fruit.”

“There’s some granola bars in here as well,” Beca said. They tossed them in and Beca tested the weight of the bag.

“It’s not too heavy?” Aubrey asked. 

“Nope,” Beca said. “Did you want to like, grab that book you’re reading?” Aubrey smiled.

“Yeah, I will,” she said. “What about you?”

“I thought I might bring my bluetooth speaker if that’s not too annoying for you,” she said.

“No, by all means,” Aubrey said. Beca hollered out that they’d be back later and they swung past the loft to pick up their stuff. Beca’s aunt and Sheila were on the back patio watching them walk away, so after they had slipped their sunglasses on, Aubrey took Beca’s hand in hers as they walked. 

She didn’t end up letting go of her hand until they had to switch to single file to get through part of the woods. It didn’t feel weird to hold it, and Beca’s fingers had stayed curled against hers tightly, like she had wanted them there. 

Aubrey heard the river before she saw it. It was a gentle bubbling sound, cutting through the wood with enough grass around that they could lay the blanket out under a tree. It was a gorgeous little piece of scenery, picturesque and quiet. She took the pack from Beca and fished the picnic rug out of it. She spread it out and Beca tugged their water out as they dropped down. 

Aubrey surveyed Beca from behind her glasses as she drank. She still wasn’t smiling. It really bothered her, because Beca tended to be happy, unless there was some dealing with her father imminent. She didn’t like the shadowed, drained look on her face that had appeared since they’d pulled up the night before.

“You’ve been quiet,” she said.

“Yeah, I know,” Beca said. “It’s just… easier for me that way. The less I say, the less they can criticize. I’m sorry, is it putting too much pressure on you to talk? I didn’t think, I’m sorry.” Aubrey just shook her head slightly.

“No, not at all, please don’t apologise,” Aubrey said. “I’m here for you, Beca. I want to do everything I can to make this easy for you. Make them see they’re wrong. Make you see that what they think doesn’t matter.”

“What are your parents like?” Beca asked suddenly, lying down. Aubrey lay down as well, head near Beca’s.

“They’re fine, in the grander scheme of things,” Aubrey said. “Mom wishes I’d settle down already, and she still worries that she’s never going to get grandchildren. Dad isn’t very in touch with his emotions, but I guess he’s old school Air Force so that explains that. They’re not problematic, but we’re not exactly close-knit.”

“Your mom understands that lesbians can still have kids, though, right?” Beca said. 

“Yeah,” Aubrey said. “I think she worries because it’s generally easy for hetero couples to have kids. Bit of unprotected sex, a little planning, IVF if things are rough. But I think she feels like I might decide that all of the extra steps required of kids in a lesbian relationship aren’t worth the hassle and she’ll miss out.”

“But do you want kids someday? Coz if your mom wants grandkids that’s all well and good, but if you don’t, she might be outta luck.” Beca asked. It wasn’t something they’d ever discussed before, but Aubrey was glad they were talking about serious things. She’d always wondered, always hoped if they’d ever get to be close the way Beca and Chloe were.

“I do,” Aubrey said. “Down the track. There’s still a lot I want to accomplish personally. But yeah, kids are something I’ve thought about. What about you?” Beca’s lips pursed and Aubrey thought she’d said something stupid. It turned out that she was just thinking because she did answer.

“Yeah, maybe,” Beca said. “Sometimes I think hell no. Because I feel like I’d have nothing to teach them. Like, Dad and Sheila have fucked me up a pretty good amount, and I get scared thinking about how I’d ever be able to successfully raise a kid. But then I think about mom. She was great. She loved me, encouraged me. She told me no when I needed it and she never said no without telling me why. And then the more I think about it, maybe I could use Dad and Sheila as examples of what not to do. So then I decided that with the right person, why shouldn’t I? I could be a good mom.”

“I think so,” Aubrey said. Beca reached into the bag and pulled her Bluetooth speaker out, setting her phone to play. She settled down, moving closer to Aubrey. Neither of them spoke, they just lay there in the sun. It was quiet, comfortable and familiar.

“Every time I see them,” Beca said quietly after some time, “it takes me weeks to build my self confidence back up. I spend the weeks beforehand worrying myself sick and the weeks after trying to drag myself out of a hole, Aubrey, and I can’t help but feel like this is not what family should be.”

“No, it shouldn’t,” Aubrey said. Her hand fumbled for Beca’s. “And it’s not. Family is the people who love you regardless of anything else. It’s about support. Sometimes a little ass kicking when required.”

“Well I don’t get that from them,” Beca said. “I get it from Chloe, and you, and the girls. That’s my family. So why do I still fucking care so much?” Aubrey couldn’t think of anything to say so she reached across and pulled Beca toward her, resting the smaller girl on her arm and chest. 

They stayed there a while longer before Beca shifted and pulled the granola bars from the pack. They chatted a bit, nothing intense like they had been before. But Aubrey felt closer to Beca, like part of that carefully constructed wall had come down. 

The sun was warm and they could have stayed there for hours. But true to Beca’s word, they didn’t waste the day there. They did hang around for a bit longer, but then they made their way back to the house, Aubrey taking Beca’s hands once they were in eye line of the house.

“Have a nice walk?” Claire asked as they came inside.

“Yeah,” Aubrey said. “It was gorgeous. And quiet. Kind of perfect really.”

“Did you want something to eat?” Beca asked. “Looks like everyone else has already eaten but I’ll make you something if you like.”

“Just a sandwich will be fine,” Aubrey said. She took a seat at the dining table where Claire and Chelsea were sitting and playing cards.

“Ham, cheese, salad, PB & J?” Beca asked, hands resting on top of her shoulders. “Got lots of options.”

“Oh, I haven’t had a PB & J in like a year,” she said. “I’ll take one. And some milk.” She craned up and kissed Beca quickly on the lips. She chatted with Beca’s cousins while she waited, Beca joining in when she brought their lunch to the table.

“You guys wanna play next round?” Chelsea asked.

“As fun as that would be, I’m afraid not,” Aubrey said. “I have to start grading these papers. I need to submit them back to the professor at the end of the week.”

“Next time,” Beca said. “I promised her she’d still get her work done if I dragged her away from campus.” The girls just nodded, so Beca and Aubrey finished their sandwiches and then headed back to the loft.

“Your dad said I could take my laptop over and borrow the Wi-Fi,” Aubrey said. “I just want to duck over and get the papers downloaded.”

“Sure,” Beca said. She was setting up her own laptop.

Aubrey carried her laptop into the house and headed back into the study. She used the post it note to enter the password into her computer, and quickly began downloading the files to her computer. Then she figured there wasn’t any harm in having hard copies, and after a little clicking and whatnot, she managed to connect to the printer and had printed the papers as well, borrowing a stapler from the second drawer to staple them together. 

She carried the lot back out to the loft. It seemed Beca had visited the kitchen while she was gone because there was a pot of coffee going in the small kitchenette. The brunette had set herself up for an afternoon of mixing at the coffee table, sitting on the couch. Aubrey spread herself out on the kitchen table, getting everything perfectly where she wanted it just as Beca placed the mug on the table.

“Want anything else?” Beca asked.

“No, thanks,” Aubrey said. “You don’t have to wear those if you don’t want.” She pointed at the headphones slung around Beca’s neck.

“Oh, I know,” Beca said. “But it does make it easier to hear the fine detail. I’ll do most of it out loud, but when it gets to the super fiddly bits I’ll put them on.”

“You feel safe with them on,” Aubrey observed. Beca’s hand reached up to grab them subconsciously. 

“Yeah,” she said. “It’s something I know. Something I can control. Something I understand.”

“Okay,” Aubrey said. “Time to grade. Check out my excited face.” It was not an excited face. Beca laughed and headed over to her own little area. Aubrey sighed and sipped the coffee as she pulled the first paper in front of her. She felt like she had a good system in place. Check the list of texts and referencing was the correct format. Read it through once. Read it through again and make notes about how well concise and clear the points were, whether they addressed the topic adequately. Read again and correct spelling, grammar and formatting. Put it to the side, to be read again later. 

She got through thirteen papers before she felt Beca hovering beside her before dropping into a chair just adjacent to where she was sitting. She’d slipped into the zone, Beca’s music occupying the part of her brain that would normally occasionally wander. 

“Dude, look at all that red pen,” Beca said, pointing at the paper in front of her. 

“Not as bad as it looks,” Aubrey said. “They’ve actually done fairly well, just some stylistic concerns.”

“Does it ever feel weird that you’re considered the authority on something to the point where you can pass or fail someone on a paper?” Beca asked.

“Sometimes,” Aubrey said. “But Goldsmith picked me. I never got anything other than an A in any of his classes, and it’s all intro classes and stuff. I’m confident I know it. He’ll read it all before it gets released, but he rarely adds anything or changes anything.”

“That’s pretty cool,” Beca said. “Bellas… the girls. That’s helped me become more confident in my music. I mean, I’ve been making music for years, and you know, I liked it. But dad and Sheila kinda drilled it into me that it wasn’t special. It was just noise. So I stopped showing anyone, I guess. Just kept it for myself. Kept working at it, trying to be better, like somehow I’d be able to prove it to them even if I was never showing it to them. But you and Chloe really encouraged me to be proud of it. And then the rest of the Bellas too. It’s actually a much bigger deal for me than what it sounds like. Confidence isn’t something I’m exactly rolling in. But thanks to Bellas there’s part of my life that I’m really proud of.”

“I’m really glad Bellas has been able to do that for you, Beca,” Aubrey said. “And I’m also more than happy to tell you anytime how talented you are.”

“You and Chloe are pretty great, you know?” Beca mumbled, rubbing the back of her neck a little awkwardly. Aubrey leaned across the space between them and hugged her. She felt Beca’s arm come around her and was suddenly aware of how much she’d been invading the smaller girl’s space.

“Um… Sorry,” Aubrey said. “I only just realised how much I’ve been getting in your space, hugging you. I mean, most of the time I’m hugging you when there’s nobody in your family anywhere near us.”

“I don’t mind,” Beca said. “I feel like we’re closer that we used to be, Aubrey. And I know we’re pretending for them, but if it’s brought us closer then that’s pretty awesome too.” Aubrey felt her heart thud happily in her chest.

“Yeah, it is,” she agreed. Then she caught sight of the clock. “Wow is that the time already?”

“Yeah,” Beca said. “Dinner will be in about forty five minutes or so I’d imagine. Pretty regimented.”

“Oh, I want to wash up first,” Aubrey said. “Thanks.”

“And I think Dad said something about building a fire out the back after,” Beca said. “It’ll be full family central.”

“Then we’ll be there,” Aubrey said. Beca nodded. “Won’t be long.” She got up and went upstairs to grab some stuff to shower.

Beca was just leaning back on the couch, her eyes closed as she hummed to something in her head while she waited. When she heard Aubrey coming, she opened her eyes and grinned. Aubrey had donned her WBUJ hoodie. It was huge on her - Luke had only ordered men’s sizes and the smallest was medium - and still really big on Aubrey. But it looked good on her. 

“Nice hoodie choice,” Beca said.

“Think it adds a new level of reality to the dating thing, don’t you?” Aubrey asked. 

“Definitely,” Beca said. She grabbed Aubrey’s hand and they headed toward the main house for dinner. It smelled unreal. Belinda and Sheila had made a full beef roast with potatoes and vegetables. Beca’s dad was pouring wine - for those of age - and he offered a glass to Aubrey as she came in.

“Just the one,” Aubrey said. “I wouldn’t call myself a drinker.” He poured one for her and Beca pulled her chair out so she could sit down. Aubrey spent the entire meal making sure it was very clear that she thought the world of Beca. She still held conversation with everyone else, but when she wasn’t eating, her hand was firmly planted on Beca’s knee and she spent the whole time making what she hoped were pretty convincing gooey eyes at her. 

Beca was also enjoying it, playing into it with equal intensity. She felt a little bad for encouraging Aubrey in it, they’d only discussed doing the minimum to be convincing. But it seemed like she was pretty far past minimum now, she was aiming for full-blown fake-crazy-in-love mode. It was weighing on her more than a little that she was enjoying playing pretend with her so much.

Beca’s cousins were on cleanup duty that particular night, so Warren advised Beca and Aubrey to get warm sweaters on because he and Eric were about to get the fire going. Aubrey put another long sleeved tee on under her shirt and then put Beca’s hoodie back on. It was actually really warm. She wrapped a scarf around her neck. Beca had pulled another hoodie out and then jammed a knitted hat on her head. 

“You ready?” she asked Aubrey quietly.

“Yeah,” Aubrey said. “Are you?” Beca took her hand.

“I am,” she said. They made their way over to where the fire pit was. Warren and Eric had dragged some chairs and old couches around the pit earlier in the day and the fire was just starting to get some decent heat. Eric was still tending to it, Cody lending a hand. Beca dropped into one of the couches, pulling Aubrey toward her. The blonde curled up against her side and pulled Beca’s arm around her, tangling their fingers at her shoulder. Beca instinctively brushed a kiss across her temple as they waited for everyone else to make their way out.

“It’s gonna get cold,” Beca said. “It always does. You sure you gonna be warm enough?”

“For now,” Aubrey said. She could have sworn Uncle Eric was looking their way, but she also felt like he had a smile on his face. Everyone else was coming out of the house. Beca’s cousins had bags of marshmallows to roast, and Belinda was bringing a bottle of red. She poured a glass for herself, Sheila and Warren, Eric declining in favor of a beer.

“Aubrey?” she offered.

“No thanks,” she said. 

“Beca won’t mind,” she encouraged.

“I know she wouldn’t,” Aubrey said, “But I don’t drink much. Never have. So no thank you.” Sheila barely restrained an eye roll. Aubrey felt Beca stiffen but she got her to relax with a simple hand on her knee. 

“Suit yourself,” Belinda said. 

It was kind of nice, Aubrey thought. The fire was warm enough and apart from the soft talking and crackle of the flames, there was nothing but silence. From time to time Beca would hum lightly, not audible to the others. The first bottle of wine was followed by another, and the air grew colder.

“Hey,” Beca said, “Do you want some hot chocolate?”

“Sounds good,” Aubrey said. “Want me to come?” Beca told her she’d get it and just to keep their spot warm.

“I’ll help,” Claire offered. “I want one too.” She and Beca headed into the house, Sheila following behind. They made mugs of hot chocolate for Beca and Aubrey, Chelsea, Cody and Claire and a coffee for Eric. 

“Here,” Sheila said, trying to squirt cream on top of Aubrey and Beca’s, before Beca moved the mugs away.

“No thanks,” Beca said. “Aubrey and I take it the same. Marshmallows, no cream.” This was something she actually knew. Because Chloe took hers with cream and chocolate sprinkles, but the two of them preferred marshmallows only.

“You have to have cream,” Sheila said. “Is it hot chocolate without it?”

“No, we don’t,” Beca said. “Not if we don’t like it.”

“Does Aubrey actually not like cream or is it you who doesn’t like cream and you’re making that decision for her?” Sheila asked. Beca bristled. It was such a stupid thing for her stepmother to be questioning her about in such an accusatory tone. But she kept her voice level.

“Aubrey doesn’t like the taste of whipped cream from a can,” Beca said. “On anything. She’ll take fresh whipped cream with a dessert, but cream from a can is no. I’m pretty sure I know what my girlfriend does and doesn’t like.” Sheila just took the two mugs she had outside, Claire rolling her eyes pointedly with an apologetic look at Beca. Beca took her two mugs and headed back outside.

“Thanks babe,” Aubrey said, peering into the mug. “You know just how I like it.” Claire and Beca both shot glances at Sheila.

“What’s that about?” Aubrey asked, raising the mug to her lips to hide the question.

“Sheila interrogated me about whether or not you actually dislike cream from a can or whether I was forcing my choices on you,” Beca replied. “About cream, Aubrey. Cream. Though I think it’s pretty obvious she was making reference to something else.”

“Oh my god,” Aubrey said. “Is she six?” Beca chuckled. They drank their hot chocolates, and then Beca took the mugs back inside. After she sat down, Aubrey pulled her close and left a soft but lingering kiss on her lips. Beca smiled at her and they cuddled back together on the couch. It got colder as the night progressed and Beca ended up going back to the loft to grab a blanket to cover them both up.

Belinda ended up in bed first, not a surprise since she’d drained most of the wine on her own. But once she’d left, everyone else started trickling off to bed until it was just Eric, Cody and Beca and Aubrey. Cody got Beca’s attention and pointed down at Aubrey.

The blonde’s eyes were closed, and her breathing was beginning to even out. Beca hated to wake her, but she knew she was going to have to do it sooner or later, and the sooner would be less intrusive. She shifted a little and let her hand rake through Aubrey’s hair a bit. Aubrey just murmured sleepily, so Beca did it again. 

“Bree,” Beca whispered. “Sweetie, maybe we should call it a night.”

“But I’m comfortable here,” Aubrey said burrowing into her further. She wasn’t even putting this one on for show, she would have been quite happy to stay there all night.

“You say that now but the temperature is gonna get real low before morning,” Beca said. “Come on, Bree. Let’s go to bed.”

“Okay,” she sighed. She got up and let Beca lead her back to the loft. She didn’t even bother changing into pajamas, just tugged the scarf and hoodie off and crawled into bed. Beca took a moment to wash up and then climbed in beside her. After a moment, Aubrey curled up next to her a little closer.

“Is this okay?” she asked drowsily. “You’re warm.”

“Uh… yeah,” Beca said. Aubrey didn’t take long to fall back asleep, though Beca lay awake for a while. It was too easy. Pretending to be in love with Aubrey was too easy. It was bringing up feelings she’d squashed a long time ago, feelings she’d had no business having in the first place. 

It had felt so - right. Having Aubrey’s weight leaning against her, arm slung across her body and smell of her hair wafting upward from her head. And now, the warmth of her body seeping across the admittedly small gap in the mattress. She spent a long time talking herself back out of having any of those kinds of thoughts before she went to sleep.

The next morning, Beca slept later than Aubrey, thanks to her late night musings. Aubrey simply took a shower and then resumed her post at the kitchen table, getting through another three papers before she heard Beca surface. 

“Hey,” Beca said. “You had breakfast?”

“No, I wanted to wait for you,” Aubrey said with a smile. 

“I just want to visit the bathroom and I’ll be good to go,” Beca said. “Weather’s a bit crappy today.”

“I think it’s pretty,” Aubrey said. “Sure it’s raining. But it’s a drizzle and the clouds just go on forever. But at least there’s a good chance I’ll get these papers finished today. Then I’m all yours.” Beca smiled as she turned and headed to the bathroom. 

They headed across to the house, finding that everyone was already present and eating. They moved into the kitchen and saw a similar setup to yesterday. Aubrey mulled over the choices for a few seconds.

“What do you feel like?” she asked Beca.

“Pancakes,” Beca said. “But let’s make banana pancakes.”

“Ooh, sounds perfect to me,” Aubrey said. “I wonder if they have any cinnamon somewhere.”

“You start the griddle, I’ll check,” Beca said. They cooked breakfast together and then joined the rest of the family at the table. 

“What do you ladies have on your radar for today?” Warren asked.

“The weather’s kind of killed any outdoor plans,” Beca said. “Bree’s going to grade the rest of those papers and nail them up today. I’ll read a little, mix a little. Maybe even have a nap later on.”

“Oh, definitely,” Aubrey agreed. “This is nap weather if ever I’ve seen it.”

“Warren says you’re staying on at Barden to do a Masters in International Politics,” Belinda said. “What are you doing after that?”

“I’m going to aim toward Capitol Hill for an internship,” Aubrey said. “I’d like to end up in the DOS.”

“And what would you do in Washington, Beca?” Sheila asked. “Provided you two last that long.”

“Music is versatile,” Beca said. “You can do it anywhere.”

“But Washington? I would have thought New York, LA,” her father said.

“That’s where a lot of it is centered, yes,” Aubrey said. “But there are a lot of great music opportunities in Washington. Plus, I’m confident Beca will be able to generate enough interest that people would travel to Washington to work with her if they had to.”

“So you two are thinking long term?” Sheila asked. “I thought you’d only been together two months.”

“We’re both thinking long term,” Beca said, shooting a glance at Aubrey. “It’s soon, but it’s serious.”

“I don’t do casual well,” Aubrey said. “I’ve never been able to just jump into a relationship that didn’t seem to be going anywhere. I want someone who has a clear sense of personal stability and I want someone who is clear about what they want in their lives, their future. Beca is grounded enough that she knows what she wants. And she knows and understands herself and what she’s looking for. We both got lucky. Sometimes people go their whole lives before they find someone they connect with. We found each other quick.”

“So why pretend we’re not serious when we are, right?” Beca asked. She leaned across and put a soft kiss on her fake girlfriend’s lips. That seemed to stun everyone into a silence, so they took the opportunity to excuse themselves and head back to the loft.

Aubrey hadn’t packed her stuff back up from yesterday, so she resumed her seat. Beca said she wanted to shower, so she started marking. She could hear Beca singing to herself in the small bathroom, a sound she loved. It was a nice soundtrack to the first paper. 

Beca offered coffee as she was reading the second one through for the last time. She accepted and the brunette placed it next to her, then headed to the stuffed couch, where she put her mug down and then spread out, opening her book. 

“Do you mind if I put some music on?” Beca asked.

“No of course not,” Aubrey said. Beca chose to play a bunch of old vinyls during the day that turned out to be some older jazz and blues, perfect music to accompany the weather outside. Aubrey kept grading her way through another stack of papers, and by the time it hit lunch, she was up to twenty eight of thirty nine.

“The end is in sight,” she said. “I have eleven left.”

“Lunch?” Beca said. They made their way across to the house, where they cobbled together some leftover roast sandwiches and ate sitting outside on the back patio. After they were done, they played a couple of hands of poker with Beca’s cousins, using candy as currency, Aubrey wiping the floor with all of them.

“How the hell did that happen?” Cody asked, as Aubrey gleefully took her winnings of M&Ms toward her. “Normally I’m the one eating all the candy.”

“Yeah, well if I can’t keep a straight face in politics I’m not going to be any good at it,” she said. “Plus my dad taught me when I was like eight.”

“Whereas Cody just relies on bluffing,” Chelsea said. “Unfortunately, it usually works.”

“Hey, I’m just stoked I get to reap the benefits of my girlfriend’s badass poker skills,” Beca said, swiping a couple of M&Ms. Aubrey gasped.

“Stealing my winnings, Beca, really?” she said. 

“Please,” Beca said. “We both know you prefer the peanut butter kind anyway.”

“True,” Aubrey said. She sighed. “I think if I get my ass in gear, I’d be able to finish all of those papers this afternoon.”

“Boo,” Beca said. “But sure. I’ll make a fresh pot of coffee, and it looks like someone made muffins this morning.”

“That’d be me,” Claire said. “And mom. Blueberry and apple.”

“Deal,” Aubrey said. “I want to have them done before dinner. That’s my goal.” They headed back to the loft and Beca made her the promised cup of coffee.

“You’re not having one?” Aubrey asked.

“Nah,” Beca said. “I might take a nap for an hour or so. Good weather for it. Plus I’m tired.” Aubrey’s eyes tracked her as she made her way to the stairs. Beca did seem a lot more run down and tired even in the few days they’d been here. She seemed anxious, like she’d said. She wished there was something she could do but she knew Beca wouldn’t be pushed, and she also didn’t want to risk the familiarity they already built together.

She started the next of her papers, taking a sip from her coffee mug. Beca knew exactly how she liked it, and that was enough to make her smile. 

She heard the younger woman get up a bit later, and some shuffling around as she came back downstairs and made herself a cup of coffee. She placed a refill and a muffin in front of Aubrey and then sat adjacent to her at the table, at the same place she had the previous night.

“You alright?” Aubrey asked.

“Yeah,” Beca said. Aubrey gave her a knowing look, and she affirmed it again. “I am fine at the moment, Bree, but I do appreciate you checking up on me. How’s the grading going?”

“I’m almost done,” Aubrey said. “The papers aren’t bad. And they’re not complex so it’s not hard to grade them.”

“Do you have a favorite student?” Beca asked. “Or is there a student who you know is just going to turn in shit?”

“There are a couple who routinely turn in really great papers,” she said. “But toward the start of the year, first paper. There was this kid who turned in a really bad paper. No idea how citation worked, all very biased which is bad in politics papers. I flat out failed him and he demanded a full review.”

“What happened?”

“His paper was reviewed by Goldsmith and one other professor, they also called it a fail,” Aubrey said. “Turned out he had been this prodigy almost during high school. He coasted his way through school, coasted through SATs. So when he was faced with an actual academic task, he had no idea what to do and just assumed he’d be fine.”

“Did he resubmit?” Beca asked.

“No,” Aubrey said. “Resubmits are rare. They’re generally like… if someone is dead on the cusp and you know that a little revision or fine tuning could pass them. This was a fail. He had a single in text citation for a three thousand word paper. But he got some tutoring and stayed in the class. He actually stayed back once to tell me that he hated me after that first paper, but now he realises that I did him a favor.”

“That’s kind of cool,” Beca said. “You must be okay at this whole teaching gig.”

“Well if life in politics gets too cut throat, I can always teach,” Aubrey said. She picked up her red pen.

“Sometimes I think teaching wouldn’t be so bad,” Beca said. “If the music thing doesn’t work out. I think I know enough about music that I’d be able to teach it to someone else.”

“You think?” Aubrey asked, nudging her with her foot. “Beca, you write arrangements in your sleep. And you taught CR how to do it, too.” Beca nodded, a light blush forming on her cheeks.

“I guess,” she said. 

“I don’t guess, I know,” Aubrey said. Beca just smiled at her and picked up her mug, returning to the coffee table where she resumed a mix she’d been working on. Aubrey turned her attention back to the paper in front of her.

They ended up losing track of time. Aubrey graded the last of her papers and ended up sitting next to Beca on the couch. She watched the brunette mix for a while, and then they drifted into discussion about songs for Bellas and what would work best in a mix. They didn’t even realise that it was dinner time until Claire came knocking on the door.

“Bec?” came the younger girl’s voice. “Dinner’s up.” Beca called out that they were coming. Aubrey quickly visited the restroom and they went across to the main house. Rain was falling, steadily but not too hard.

It was lasagna that night, and Aubrey had to hand it to Sheila and Belinda, because they could definitely cook. After they’d stuffed themselves, Aubrey and Beca offered to clean up the kitchen. They sang as they did so, Beca seeing Cody and Chelsea watching them out the corner of her eye. She didn’t say anything and neither did they. 

Everyone had branched off to do separate things while they’d been taking care of the kitchen. Beca was internally relieved. They walked past her dad, Sheila and Uncle and Aunt on their way out to the loft, the aforementioned group drinking port in the front sitting room.

They changed into warmer sweats and took their place back on the couch, Aubrey carrying her book. Beca tugged a blanket out of a storage cupboard and draped it across their laps. She pulled her laptop toward her. Aubrey fully expected for music to begin playing, but it didn’t. The brunette typed quickly and rapidly for a while.

“You’re not working on a mix,” Aubrey said.

“No,” Beca said. She kept typing for a while and then closed the lid. “I was just… journaling.”

“You keep a journal?” Aubrey asked.

“Not always,” Beca said. “Can I tell you something that nobody but Chloe knows?”

“Of course,” Aubrey said. She put the book down so she could give Beca her undivided attention.

“I’ve gone to see the counselling service on campus a couple of times,” Beca admitted. “Because I know I get a lot of anxiety when it comes to dealing with my family. And I went to see the counsellor when I knew I was coming here for break. I didn’t tell them about this whole fake girlfriend thing, mind you.”

“Do you find the counselling helpful?” Aubrey asked.

“I do,” Beca said. “The counsellor I’m seeing said that I should take time out to process my thoughts and feelings because when I let it all pile up, that’s when my anxiety gets bad.”

“So that’s what you were doing?” Aubrey asked.

“Yep,” Beca said. “Though, honestly, it’s a lot easier having you here. It’s nice to have someone fighting in my corner.” Aubrey smiled.

“That, I will always do,” she promised.

“And I appreciate that,” Beca said. Sometime during their talk, the smaller woman had shifted closer to Aubrey on the couch. She didn’t mind.

“It’s a lot colder tonight,” she said. “I’m glad we’re not all sitting around the fire tonight, I’d be freezing my ass off. Though I wouldn’t mind some more hot chocolate.”

“That does sound pretty good. And you know what? I could really go for some s’mores,” Beca said. “Maybe we should raid the pantry and make our own in the fireplace.”

“Do you know how to even build a fire?” Aubrey asked.

“Of course I do,” Beca scoffed. “We’ve been coming here for years.” She quickly pulled some wood from a holding box in the corner and set the fire going, comfortable leaving it to build in intensity while they ducked across to the main house, dodging the rain. They pushed the door open unheard and proceeded toward the kitchen, passing the older adults talking on the couches in the living area.

"I mean, I can't figure it out," they heard Sheila say. Beca paused. "Aubrey seems like a good girl. She's intelligent and well mannered and ambitious and lovely. I just can't see what she's doing with Beca. It makes absolutely no sense. Hopefully she realises there are better choices available to her than that."

Aubrey expected Beca to be angry, but she wasn't. She dropped Aubrey's hand, wiped some tears from her eyes, and took off toward the loft. The front door slammed as she barged through, and the adults all turned hastily. The noise startled them. They spotted Aubrey and knew they'd been caught. They did have the decency to at least look properly ashamed but Aubrey fixed her coldest stare on them even though on the inside her heart was breaking for Beca.

"What I'm doing with Beca," she said in an even voice, "is being loved. I'm being respected. And daily, just by knowing her, by having her in my life, I'm being improved. I don't much care if you can figure it out or not, but I do care that you think so little of her. She is incredible, do you not even see that? And all she wants is for you guys to see that she's not a terrible person. The only thing that doesn’t make sense here is that I can see how amazing she is, and you can’t. She is… everything. She’s good and kind and genuine and honest and whole-hearted and she’s talented and creative and ambitious… And all of the amazing things she has become is made even more amazing because she’s done it despite your horrible attitudes toward her."

"Aubrey-" Beca’s stepmother tried to respond.

"No," Eric interrupted, standing up. "Sheila, Aubrey's right. You three, every time we've been alone this trip all you do is talk down about her, and I’ve sat here and said nothing. I’m not going to do that any more. She's your daughter, for the love of God, Warren. So can you please sack up and act like it? Because if you talked about any of my kids the way you do your own, it would not be pretty; you’d be flat on your ass with an imprint of my knuckles on your jaw. But you just sit here and let them trash her and you don’t say a word in her defence, you join in… and for what? Way I see it, she’s doing well in school, she has a job, she’s got career ambitions, she has a pretty great girlfriend in Aubrey here, so I fail to see what the issue is. She’s gay. She’s not knocked up or doing drugs or flunking out of school… Just stop this judgmental bullshit already, I swear to god." He got up and excused himself.

"Thank you," Aubrey said softly to him as he passed.

"Don't thank me," he said. "Should have done that a long time ago. You just make sure she doesn’t take it to heart. She’s a good kid." 

Aubrey left and went looking for Beca. She found her in the loft, sitting back in front of the fire, knees huddled up to her chest, looking into the flames. It was clear that she'd been crying, and she didn’t even bother trying to hide it.

"Hey," Aubrey said. Beca was fiddling with the lace on her shoe. She grabbed some tissues and sat down next to her.

"Hey."

"I'm not going to ask if you're okay," Aubrey said. "It’s pretty clear that you aren't, and nobody would expect you to be. But after I was done tearing strips off your family, your Uncle had a go at them too. He let your dad have it, especially."

Beca didn't say anything, she was still slumped over and downcast. Her eyes were trained on the darkened logs at the bottom of the fire when she finally muttered something. “They couldn’t even make it three days. I doubt they even made it one.” The blonde needed to tell her. Not for herself. But so Beca knew that not everyone thought like they did. She was going into a dark place, she could see her face and her eyes getting blanker by the minute.

"Beca, I need to be honest with you about something," Aubrey said. "Remember when you asked me to come and be your pretend girlfriend I said it could get messy?"

"Yeah," Beca said. "Good call on that, by the way."

"Well, the reason I was worried about it is because all the things I've said about you to your family, the way I feel," Aubrey said softly, "I… wasn't pretending. I do really feel that way about you."

"Don't lie to me, Aubrey," Beca said, eyes filling with tears. "I don't think I can take it if you lie to me right now, not on top of all of this." Aubrey turned Beca's face toward hers and looked her in the eyes.

"I'm not lying," she said. "Beca, I've been in love with you for a while. And I honestly hate how bad your family has treated you and I just need you to know, not everyone thinks like that. I don't think like that. I love you. And I do think you’re incredible, and talented and beautiful… It was so easy for me to pretend to be your girlfriend because I already think the world of you. And if I was your girlfriend - for real - I'd feel incredibly lucky."

Her hand gently caressed the side of Beca's face and she slowly brought their lips together. Their mouths met and Beca half choked a sob into the kiss.

"Sorry," she said. "I guess after hearing it from them for so long it's hard to believe that someone like you really would be interested in me. You tell yourself not to get your hopes up."

"Well I am," Aubrey said. “Your dad and Sheila are crazy and seeing the look on your face after what they said about you… it makes me angry. Come here.” She tugged Beca toward her and wrapped an arm around her, holding the smaller girl against her body and letting her rest against her shoulder. Beca relaxed in her arms, her hands coming up to grasp at Aubrey’s arm slung around her. She needed to touch that arm, make sure it was real.

“It just makes me feel like shit,” Beca said. “I feel like I’m floundering at the bottom of a pool and they’d rather walk away than save me.” 

“I know,” Aubrey said. “And your family should not make you feel that way, Beca. I believed you when you told me what they were like. But seeing it - they’re worse. So let’s go home in the morning. You don’t owe it to them to hang around. You don’t owe those people a god damn thing. We could stay here with them and it’d suck, or we could go home, hang out with Chloe once she gets back and be with someone who actually loves us the way family should.” 

“Let’s leave first thing,” Beca said. “I can’t stay here. It’s like a weight crushing me. If it wasn’t raining, I’d suggest leaving now.” 

“Whatever you want, Beca,” Aubrey said. “I just don’t like how little you’ve smiled since we’ve been here. Or even since we’ve started planning on coming here.” 

“Um, do you mind if we just head to bed?” Beca asked. It was a little early for bed, but Aubrey really didn’t care. They got up and Beca shut off the damper so that the fire would begin to die out. They headed upstairs and changed quickly in the cold. Aubrey was still tugging a shirt on when she heard Beca pad up behind her. She felt hands on her back, caressing downward gently and Beca leaning forward to kiss her shoulder. Aubrey turned, and felt Beca’s hand hook behind her neck and pull her in. She stopped just barely an inch from her mouth. 

“Do you really love me?” she asked, eyes searching the blondes. “I didn’t imagine that?”

“I do,” she promised. Beca couldn’t see any trace of a lie, so she kissed her hard, just for a moment, because she had so much she had to try and say. 

“Aubrey, I never expected-” she began. “I mean, I hoped. But I talked myself out of it, mainly because they made me believe like it was insane to even think about. And you… You’ve been so amazing… But it might take me a minute and-” 

“I know,” Aubrey said. “It’s okay, Beca. After all of this, you should know that I understand.” Beca kissed her again. Aubrey felt her heart skip a little when she encountered Beca's tongue in her mouth. They kissed for a while longer, Aubrey's arms wrapped around her and making her feel secure. Then she led Beca to the bed, getting in behind her and sliding a comforting arm over her midsection. Beca’s fingers gently traced patterns on her arm as they lay there, until sleep overtook them. 

It was extremely early when they woke the next morning. It was still overcast though the rain had stopped. After sharing a few lazy kisses, they decided not to even hang around for breakfast. They could pack and leave in less than an hour. Aubrey got up to shower first and while Beca was in the shower, she took their bags down to the car. Eric was drinking coffee on the front porch. 

“You guys are leaving?” he asked. 

“Yes,” Aubrey said. “No reason for Beca to hang around here and just get emotionally beaten down over and over by what they think of her. And I don’t want to have to watch it, either. She deserves better, and as someone who loves her, I’ll do whatever I have to do to make her happy.” 

“Can't say I blame you. Drive safe,” Eric said. “Tell Beca to text me when you guys get home?” 

“I will,” Beca said, appearing with the last of their things. “Thanks Uncle Eric. Bree told me that you stuck up for me.” 

“You’re a good kid, Beca,” he said. “I’d be damn proud to call you my daughter, don’t listen to your dad.” Beca hugged him quickly. Then she handed him the keys to the loft and went back to the car. 

“I’ll drive,” Aubrey said. “You’ll need to navigate me a bit and we should stop somewhere for breakfast. But you still look tired.” Beca relinquished the keys to her with a soft kiss.

“The only shame is that we’ve had to leave this beautiful scenery,” Aubrey said as she started the car. Beca gave her the first few directions toward Barden.

“But I can’t wait to get back home,” Beca said. “Chloe will be home tomorrow, and everything will be back to normal.”

“You can stay with us for the rest of break if you want,” Aubrey said. “Instead of being in the dorms alone.”

“I think I’d really like that,” Beca said. She let her hand fall onto Aubrey’s knee. “Aubrey… last night. I know I was emotional and crying and everything.” She paused for a moment.

“I could have picked a thousand better moments to tell you how I really felt,” Aubrey said. “I shouldn’t have waited until you were so vulnerable.”

“No, I’m just really glad you did it,” Beca said. “Honestly. I’m sure you can gather that I have some pretty glaring self esteem issues, but I want this. I might just need you to be patient with me on that stuff though?”

“Of course,” Aubrey said. “I want to help you through that, Beca. I just want you to be happy, and if you need me to tell you twenty times a day how amazing I think you are, I’ll do it.” Beca was looking out the window pensively. Aubrey just knew she’d have to wait for Beca to talk about whatever was going through her mind.

“I still love them,” Beca said softly. “They speak about me like I’m garbage, but I still love them. That’s the worst bit.”

“Family is complicated like that,” Aubrey said. 

“But… I think I’ve realised that I don’t want to do this any more,” Beca said. “I shouldn’t have to, I can’t, so I’m not going to. I deserve better than that. So until I hear some apologies and see some attitude adjustments, I’m done. Because I love them, but I don’t like them. Or the way they make me feel.”

“Beca, that’s your decision,” Aubrey said. “And I support it. I support you. Chloe, the girls. We might not be your blood-”

“But you’re my family,” Beca said. “I know.”

“Good,” Aubrey said.

“Man, who would have thought that me needing a fake girlfriend would have ended up like this?” Beca asked. “What the hell do you think Chloe is going to say?”

“I think she’ll be happy,” Aubrey said. “Because we’re both happy.”

“Just imagine how different this week could have gone if Chloe had been with me instead of you,” Beca said. “I guess fate had a vested interest in us getting together.”

“So is it presumptuous of me to assume that instead of fake girlfriends we’re now actual girlfriends?” Aubrey ventured.

“Not presumptuous at all,” Beca said. She grinned at the blonde in the driver’s seat, noting that the further away they got from the Claremont house, the better she felt.


End file.
